CHAPTER 13: TYPECASTING
Notes:
Trigger Warnings, there's mention of someone getting stabbed through the chest. It's non-lethal, this is an akuma so magic is involved. No mentions of blood… for now. Fudge, this episode is gonna have a trigger warning every start of the chapter just because I chose a stab-happy akuma.
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
Being a model is a dream for many teens my age. Wearing the latest outfits designed by the big names in the fashion industry. Earning a thick wad of cash for someone to take your picture. Being on the front cover of a magazine for everyone to both admire and envy.
Glitz and glam make for good concealers for the grittier parts of showbiz.
There's my figure to watch and maintain, can't have curves in the wrong places. Hours spent on preparations, making extra sure I'm as flawless as can be. Staying still for long periods of time is a necessary skill. Getting one's picture taken takes more than one snap of a camera. It could take a hundred shots only for a select few to be printed out. The rest will be discarded just for being a little less than perfect. You could say the same for the models.
It's a cutthroat world where the shiny surface you present is more important than anything.
Like with being a superhero, you've got an image to maintain. Where in being a superhero, the image is all about strength, calm and invincibility to reassure the good citizens of Helios; in being a model, the image is all about confidence, beauty and glamour to make masses empty out their wallets to buy our products. Either way, it's like an illusion to make people eat out of your hands.
Nothing I can't handle. I'm a professional, after all.
"Ready to go, little bro? Little sis?" Vincent said from the driver's seat. Our foster brother is as chirpy as ever, that smile never seems to leave his face.
"As we'll ever be," I answered for the both of us as we entered the back row.
Mrs. Liung was the last to enter, having to lock our apartment door before sitting shotgun.
"Buckle up children," Mrs. Liung sternly commanded. "We've got a full day ahead of us."
Erin Liung is a beautiful intimidating woman. Her brownish black hair is in a bold yet stylish cut: chin-length at the front to frame her rosy white face, but shaved close by the nape of her neck in the back. With her cleverly applied make up to sharpen her features, pointy black heels to increase her height and her smart plum business suit, she really pulls off the fierce Dragon Lady look. Her silver wire butterfly pendant with an amethyst core is the only thing betraying her softer sentimental side.
From the rear view mirror, her piercing amethyst eyes were clearly directed at me and Blake.
"You two got everything you need, right?"
Blake and I simultaneously waved our bags full of water bottles, snacks and a change of clothes.
"Yup," Blake said.
"This photo shoot will require more acting than your normal fashion shoots. Are you sure you're okay with it?"
"We'll be fine," I said with a tinge of exasperation.
Mrs. Liung frowned, then let out a sigh.
"If you say so."
I look out the car window as we drove closer and closer to where our latest shoot is at. From this far, I could see the location's biggest landmark:
Ashworth Castle.
Vincent let out an impressed whistle at the sight.
"Hey, doesn't your classmate live there? The one with the really long name?"
"Keagan," Blake said.
"Yup! That's the one! Son of Mayor Aurelio," Vincent sighed wistfully. "Must be nice to live in an actual castle…"
I leaned back on the car's leather seat and took a look outside the car window. We're now close enough that I can make out more details of the castle's façade: Worn down stone covered in vines, purposefully made to look older than it really is. Shingles painstakingly hammered for that medieval effect. Tall glass windows with curtains of royal red hiding the indoors from view…
"I dunno, Vincent. Seems kinda lonely to live there," Blake said.
"You don't say," Vincent said, voice tinted with skeptism and curiosity.
"Think about it. Family of four, biggest most spacious building permitted to stand on this city…" Blake let his sentence trail off to leave the rest to our imagination.
"Oh," was all Vincent could say.
"… You've gotten real friendly with the Helios Prince," I said.
There's a small part of me that feels a little jealous of how much progress Blake has made with befriending my deskmate. He's the awkward shy twin yet he won more friendship points with Keagan. How did that happen?!
Blake looked at me with sharp emerald green eyes, arms crossed.
"Hard not to when my dearest sister keeps ditching me for no reason."
"What? You're the only one who needs some alone time?"
Clearly, my twin has been taking some intimidation lessons from Fiona as the face he's making kinda reminds me of her when she's grilling Shizuke for ditching them for whatever reason. It's a testament to my acting skills that my face remained impassive.
"How about when an akuma attacks?" asked Vincent while keeping his eyes on the road. "You always insist on hiding on your own when you could've been just as safe with any one of us."
"Except when I'm the target," I said with a sharp tone I reserve for when I need to sound serious. "If the akuma is after me, I'd rather be the only one the akuma chases."
He always tries too hard to be a good protective older brother. Too bad I can't just tell him I'm Chat Noire and don't need his protection.
"You know, one concerned Mr. Ross has asked me not to book you too many photoshoots," said Mrs. Liung. Her amethyst purple eyes narrowed at me in suspicion. "Is once or twice a week really too much?"
This will be tough. Better tread carefully, lest I trigger her 'Dragon Lady' mode.
"In my defense, I didn't say I was going to a photoshoot. He must've misunderstood when I said I needed to go..."
"And where do you need to go that makes you miss class for over an hour?" Mrs. Liung asked, full of suspicion.
"You sure you're alright?" Vincent asked, full of concern.
"Will you please tell us what's going on?" Blake asked, full of hurt.
Great. Now they're triple teaming me.
Hiding a double life isn't as easy as those teen superhero cartoons make them out to be. When you've got a twin you're usually inseparable from, a clingy foster brother who wants to play bodyguard, and a legal guardian who made it her job to manage my schedule, it's all the more harder. Every once in a while, I get an intervention from these three.
When lies no longer work, there's always…
"Oh, look! We're here!"
… A distraction.
Just in time, we're now in front of the entrance gate to Aurelio Land.
It had all the attractions you could expect from an amusement park; roller coasters surrounding the boarder looking like the outlines of a mountain range, carousels full of wooden magical creatures, and the classic ferriswheel with lights arranged on the wheel to resemble the sun. Rooftops of medieval styled buildings can be seen peeking over the gates. Their purposes vary from fun houses with distorted mirrors to a haunted mansion inspired by local legends of a certain witch… Aurelio Land is like a small city within a much larger city. It has four gates to enter and exit from.
Vincent found a nice parking spot beneath a tall shady tree. He opened the doors for us like a gentleman.
Before I could fully get out of the car, Mrs. Liung was onto me like Plagg on Camembert.
"This conversation is not over, young lady. We will talk about this later," Mrs. Liung said.
On the side, I notice Blake and Vincent failing to look like they're not at all eavesdropping on us. Looks like my distraction was only able to buy me time to come up with a better excuse rather than getting them off my trail.
"Are we clear?" Mrs. Liung asked.
Doing my best to not look cowed, I stare her straight in the eye and said, "Crystal."
The four of us made our way to the front gates. Blake and I gave a few well-timed answers as Vincent went on and on about how excited he is to finally see Aurelio Land. Wonder how much it changed since I last visited. I doubt I'd see it the same way as I did before. This time, I'm not here to have fun.
The tall iron gates creaked open. Mrs. Liung showed the guard our passes before letting us through. Vincent took pictures of the park's extravagant entrance for our social media page. Can't say I blame him though, it is an impressive sight.
Knights with banners welcomed us with trumpet horns like a royal welcome. It's not even 10am but the park is already swarming with guests. Joyful laughter and chatter filled the air. Booths with carnival games were lined up at the main street, the people manning them shouting to catch people's attention. The mouth-watering smell of food spilled out from food carts and restaurants designed like old taverns. Quaint little shops full of colorful costumes and accessories can be spotted at every corner. Vendors walked around selling balloons and other little toys. Two kids went past us on rental bikes, followed by their haggard babysitter.
"It's livelier than I remember," Blake stood close by my side, amazement written all over his face.
Vincent ran over to a podium with a floating holographic scroll. It's one of those high-tech guides scattered around the park to help tourists decide on where to go and what to do. The scroll's shape fizzed out and was replaced by an image of a man with dirty blond hair.
"{Uhm… Hello? This thing on? Uh, I'm looking for my daughter, Sophie. She's a little girl around four feet tall, wearing blue overalls…}"
And it can also be used to broadcast messages for missing children and such. After the man was done, his image was replaced by the default scroll that had ads on the park's upcoming events.
"Wow! It says here, there's gonna be a parade with fireworks later!" Vincent beamed like an over eager puppy at me and Blake. "We have to check it out!"
Mrs. Liung pulled her son away from the guide and directed us to an employee's tunnel-like path. Somewhere further into the theme park is the start of one long and gruelling photoshoot.
"We'll go there later. Right now, we've got a job to do and we can't be late," Mrs. Liung sternly reminded.
That's right. This time, I'm here to get paid.
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
Balancing a double life is hard. Fighting akuma, collecting extra credit, night time patrols, class president duties, training with Chat Noire, helping out at my grandmother's store… It's a miracle that I get anything done with all the sneaking around I have to do between my identities. But even with my packed schedule as a student and a hero, I always make sure I'm free for Sundays with my friends.
"I have to get an interview with Ladybug!"
But sometimes, I don't think my friend Kaji over here appreciates my efforts.
"It's been weeks since I last managed to get an interview!" Kaji continued to whine as he rode his spinning computer chair around, narrowly avoiding the numerous paraphernalia filling his spacious room. "Last time, Bully Hunter kidnapped me…"
"No. I was the one who was kidnapped," Fuyu said as Kaji passed by the couch set she was lounging on. She threw a ball his way, continuing their game of catch. "You just jumped on to his net with no sense of self-preservation."
"I was still tied up and needed rescuing," Kaji caught the ball and threw it back at her while continuing to spin around. "And a couple of weeks before that, Ladybug left me up a tree."
Fuyu caught the ball. "I'm surprised you didn't jump."
"Fuyu! Don't give him ideas," without needing to look, I caught the ball Fuyu threw. I grabbed the back of Kaji's computer chair, forcing him to stop. "And Kaji, Sundays are supposed to be breaks from that. I swear, if I catch you trying-"
"I didn't mean today!" Kaji pouted. "Unless an akuma shows up, I doubt I'd run into Ladybug at all."
A sarcastic voice inside my head that sounded a lot like Chat Noire mused on the irony of his statement.
Fuyu got up from the couch and flicked Kaji on the forehead. "Don't jinx us, you dolt!"
"Ow!" Kaji winced, then glared weakly at Fuyu.
"Let's just enjoy today, guys. It's rare for us to have a quiet day," I got in between my two quarrelsome friends and firmly held them apart by the shoulder to prevent them from fighting. "How about we explore the city?"
As expected, Kaji perked up at the idea. He'd take any excuse he can to get out of his lonely castle.
"Good idea!" then his smile dimmed. "… We should probably avoid the ferriswheel."
"Why?"
Kaji slumped back into his computer chair. "My cousin's got a photoshoot there."
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
This photoshoot is for the trending Valentine's Day gimmick of wearing Ladybug and Chat Noire themed couple outfits. Blegh. They-WE'RE not even a couple! It's a popular theme right now and of course Aphrodite's going to cash in on it.
For this shoot, Aphrodite assigned me a Chat Noire set: lime green off shoulder shirt with a pair of short black overalls with a small green paw pattern embroidered on the side. I would've been more concerned if Plagg hadn't already told me how glamor magic works.
"I once had a Chat Noir who literally cosplayed himself for a music video shoot AND voiced himself in an animated movie," Plagg's eyes shone with mirth. "If glamor magic can cover THAT up, I'm sure your casual date clothes won't even dent your secret identity. People are as good as blind."
Aurelio Land happens to be a popular date spot, that's why Aphrodite wanted to take some shots here. Our carriage on the ferriswheel is paused at the very top to provide a clearer, less cluttered background for my shots. The scenario I'm supposed to act out is a romantic date. That's why I find myself leaning over the most aggravating person I've ever had the misfortune of working with.
"Seniorita Blair, lean on Senior Leo a little more. You're supposed to be a couple in amor here! I need more amor!" said the photographer.
"You heard the man," my blond co-worker, Leo, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at me before he suggested to the photographer in fluent Spanish, "Que tal un beso? No seria eso romantico?"
Blair, stay strong. Leo's too important. Aphrodite will fire you if you cause him bodily harm! No matter how tempting it is, it's not worth it! He's the reason this photoshoot is even possible.
This shoot requires a few rides to be closed off for who knows how many hours. Getting that kind of permit for one of the city's biggest money hauler couldn't be easy without the right connections… Leo happens to have those connections.
Leo is Keagan's cousin. Anyone can tell at a glance – same light brown skin, same reddish brown eyes, same tall regal features… all he needs is a somewhat spiky brown wig to cover his soft wavy blond hair and he can pass himself off as Monsieur Ladyblogger himself. Which is unfortunate, 'cause I'm actually rather fond of Keagan while Leo inspires nothing but scorn within me.
Anywho, for this big favor Aphrodite allowed him to call a few small favors: like having me as a partner and having our shot taken in this cramped ferriswheel carriage, meant for couples to snog to their hearts content.
"No! That won't do!"
Thankfully, the photographer didn't bend along Leo's whims as easily as others in his position would.
Leo pouts in a way that's annoyingly similar to Keagan. Before he can even attempt to persuade the photographer, the man continued to rant.
"This shoot is for displaying clothing! A kiss will put you two too close and obscure the clothes we're trying to promote!"
Senior Gonzalez is a photographer married to his job. Many models dread working with him for being intense to work with. He's quick, decisive, and knows what he wants in a shoot, unlike the many 'artistic' hacks I've worked with in this industry. A true pro among pros.
"How about you put your hand over his chest? Clutch the collar lightly as if you're pulling him close. Oye! And smirk! Like you're seducing him!"
I bit back a retort and did as Senior Gonzalez said. Leo is clearly enjoying this too much. A strong breeze rattled the carriage sent me toppling over Leo, which sent us both down on the carriage seat.
My quick cat-like reflexes saved me, moving my head just so that it's my forehead that ended up colliding with Leo's chin instead of our lips. Leo looked a little disgruntled, but he kept his hold firm around my waist which unfortunately left me stuck on his lap. That left me no choice but to hold on to this jerk.
"You can let me go now," I said with the fakest smile I could muster.
In fairness to the Casanova wannabe, he recovers quickly. He flashed me his patented oh-so-charming princely smile that drives many teenaged girls and some boys crazy.
"And leave you without something to hold on to? This bug's too heroic to abandon such a lovely kitten like that," he said with a hand on his heart drawing the eye to his Ladybug themed outfit. His eyes travelled up and down my Chat Noire themed outfit. "I'm only trying to be a good partner, Princess."
I resisted the urge to wipe that smile off with my fist.
"Si! That's a good look Senior Leo! Very heroic of you to catch her!"
Right. I'm still on the clock. I have to keep smirking like the cat I truly am and pull him close like Senior Gonzalez directed me to. The things I put up with for money.
"For your information, I already got a partner and it's totally not you."
Leo's princely smile twitched. Finally! I managed to dent him!
"You mean your twinsie?"
… Actually, I was thinking of Ladybug at the moment, but sure. Let's go with that.
"He's a good partner."
We had a bit of a glaring contest while struggling to maintain the faces the photographer directed us to. Our faces are positioned so close I can count his eye lashes. One wrong move and I could end up kissing Leo – not that I haven't kissed a guy before in this line of work but still. It's Leo. It'll only feed his big fat ego.
"Muy bien! I can feel the tension radiating off of both of you! So much like the real Ladybug and Chat Noire in the early days!"
... Please don't compare my beautiful friendship with Ladybug to my whatever-the-heck-this-is with Leo.
"Now hold that expression… Perfecto!"
We held still for Senior Gonzalez to take our picture. It's quite a feat on a Ferriswheel booth that dangles every time the photographer shifts positions too suddenly.
"Buen trabajo!"
Senior Gonzalez pulled his phone out of his pocket and made a call, probably telling the guys below to get us down from here and where else is he needed for this photoshoot. The carriage swayed as the engines started to move, the scenery beyond the windows shifting lower and lower as we got closer to the ground. This shoot is finally over!
… But Leo still hasn't let go of me.
"Shoot's over. Let me go."
Leo's princely smile curled into a smug smirk. Ugh… Is this how Ladybug feels whenever I smirk smugly before ignoring his point? I leaned as far away as I could as Leo leaned closer.
"You know Blair, being with a twin is different from a real partner."
His face inched closer to mine as I tried to keep my expression as deadpan as possible. It wouldn't do to let him see I'm affected, even if it's nothing but pure disgust.
"With a real partner, you can experience – " Leo was cut off from his 'romantic' monologue when a hand got between us.
"Save the amor for the photoshoot, Senior Leo. I think Seniorita Blair deserves a break," said Senior Gonzalez, finally done with his call.
I smiled gratefully at Senior Gonzalez and his stern gaze got Leo to loosen his hold on me. Quickly, I sat on the other side of the cramped carriage, as far away from Leo as possible. Senior Gonzalez sat a respectable distance on my side of the carriage, keeping his hands on his camera unlike the creep sitting across from us.
"Thanks for the save, Senior Gonzalez.
"De nada," Senior Gonzalez tipped his hat up respectfully at me. "It's rare to find your level of professionalism among teenagers your age. You deserve more respect than letting some spoiled hotshot with connections having his way around you."
Yup. There's a reason Senior Gonzalez is my favorite photographer to work with. Demanding as he is, the guy has good work ethics and doesn't allow any funny business happening on his watch. I respect a guy with integrity.
"Besides, I owe Seniora Erin for getting me this job. The least I could do is protect her hija unica's virtues."
Oh. I should've known it wasn't just good luck that I got Senior Gonzalez assigned as our photographer on a shoot where I have to work with Leo. The Dragon Lady has done it again.
"Seniorita Blair? Did I say something wrong?"
I quickly grinned like everything is normal.
"It's nothing."
I'm always going to owe Mrs. Liung, am I?
0-0-0-0-0
As soon as the carriage door creak open, I jumped out like a bat out of hell. I said goodbye to Senior Gonzalez and pointedly ignored Leo sending a flying kiss my way. It's break time. I don't need to put up with his mug.
Five minutes later, I'm at my company-issued dressing room trailer with the door locked behind me. It had all my basic needs: a closet to store clothes and shoes, a lit vanity with some cosmetic supplies, a foldable chair, and a chaise with some throwpillows… which I plopped onto and used to muffle my screams into.
"You done?" Plagg asked in a tone dry of concern.
"Yeah, I'm done," I pulled my face away from my throwpillow and scowled at the lipstick and eyeshadow stains I left behind.
Looking into the mirror lined with lightbulbs, I assessed the damage. Great. I smudged my makeup so much that it'll be easier to wipe it all out and start over than to salvage it with retouches.
"Ugh, it's such a pain in the neck dealing with guys who can't take a hint!"
I plucked out some makeup remover tissues from the dresser and began wiping it all off.
"Then why didn't you just flip him off like you normally would?"
"I'm on the clock, Plagg. This shoot wouldn't even be possible without him. I can't afford to screw this up."
"Sure you can! Mrs. Liung is a miracle worker. Didn't she rope that photographer into your shoot 'cause she knew he would protect your virtues?"
If I were holding something harder than a pack of makeup wipes, it would've cracked by now. All I got was this squishy crinkly sound Plagg snorted at.
"Not everyone is fine freeloading off of other people."
"Well, I've got news for you, kid: when you're below eighteen, you don't have to work to secure a home. That's what parents are for!" for a second there, I could've sworn I saw a dark look cross Plagg's face… then it was replaced by a gentler look. "It's every parent's responsibility to take care of you, no strings attached."
"But Mrs. Liung's not-"
"Even adoptive ones. They literally signed up for this."
Unable to come up with a witty reply to Plagg's opinion, I decided to keep quiet and ignore him as I continue to remove my makeup. The clock's ticking and I'm not gonna waste my free time arguing with Plagg.
There's a second part to the photoshoots. One set is taken in the day, the other taken in the night. My current makeup won't work for the night time shots so it's cool if I wipe it out now. Gotta give my skin some time to breathe and enjoy the theme park air.
Feeling refreshed from having my face cleaned, I went over to the closet and got my bag. I quickly took out a yellow and orange off-shoulder sweater, brown shorts and gray tights. It doesn't bother me to change clothes around Plagg. Being a model, I'm used to having to change clothes around other people. Besides, it's only uncomfortable if the other person in the room is being a creep. From the sounds of shuffling I'm picking up, Plagg's probably too busy pillaging my bag for cheese to care about anything else.
I picked up my bag with Plagg still rummaging within it and made my way to the carousel. With Senior Gonzalez's speed, Blake's shoot should be done soon.
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
"Why can't we just use the elevator?" I asked my friends as we ducked behind some curtains.
Kaji snickered when the guard passed, somehow without noticing us. "Because that would be boring?"
"I'm just saying, we could've been out by now if we didn't have to be sneaky. It's not like your father would forbid you from leaving if you asked."
"The coast is clear. Let's move!" Fuyu led us out of the curtains and into the hall.
"Fuyu finds it more fun this way," Kaji smiled softly at Fuyu as she picked out book after book from the shelves that line a certain wall.
"Aha!"
Fuyu pressed a button hidden behind some books and the wall shook. A door-shaped portion sunk further into the wall and swung inwards to reveal a hidden passageway. Fuyu dusted her hands, looking pleased with herself.
"Pretty sure this one leads straight to the carousel."
I looked over the passage for any of the marking. We always leave markings for any secret passages we find. This one has a rough chalk drawing of a horse head and the number twelve.
"Is that far enough from the ferriswheel for you?" Fuyu asked Kaji.
Kaji eagerly nodded and pulled his phone out to act as a flashlight, Fuyu following a step behind him. As soon as they were out of sight, Tikki popped out of my vest pocket.
"Your friends sure like getting into trouble they could've easily avoided," Tikki said.
"Grandma said it's a side effect of Kaji hitting his rebellion phase and Fuyu being an enabler."
"Shouldn't you try a little harder to stop them?"
"They have their reasons…"
I poked Tikki's head back down my vest pocket just in time for Kaji to peek back from the passage and ask me if I'm coming along. With a resigned sigh, I followed after my troublesome friends.
Really, is it too much trouble to ask his father for permission? It's antics like these that make the mayor stricter around his son. When I first met Kaji, his father would've forbidden him from leaving the castle. But he's grown more lenient over the years. Kaji's now allowed to leave anytime, so long as he has a bodyguard with him.
"That's what you and Fuyu are here for. I'm totally safe as long as you guys are around," Kaji said.
Fuyu huffed with pride at that.
"From schoolyard bullies, sure," I said. "But what about kidnappers? Terrorists? Akuma?"
As a superhero, I suppose I am the best bodyguard they could possibly have, but then Fuyu…
Fuyu's icy blue eyes hardened to a glare.
She took it upon herself to protect us both. For as long as I've known her, she always took pride in her strength.
Through gritted teeth, she said, "Then, we run."
Akumas are far above what she can handle and she's painfully aware of this. That's why she always chooses to run away whenever an akuma pops up. The only thing stopping her is…
"But I need to gather more information!"
Kaji never cared about the danger. He insists that what he's doing is for the greater good. People need to know as much as they can about the akumas. And yet…
"Honestly, what more do people need to know?" Fuyu asked, eyes glaring directly at Kaji. "Akumas are VICTIMS who's pain are taken advantage of. What they did as an akuma is not their fault. It's all Hawkmoth's. LADYBUG said it himself."
Kaji winced and looked away. He increased his pace to get ahead of us, but I blocked his way. This is the most we've talked about this in a while. Maybe if we pushed just a little more…
"She's right, Kaji," I said in a gentle voice, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can always tell us what's really bothering you."
"You wouldn't understand," Kaji shrugged my hand off and walked past me.
Fuyu patted me in the back in consolation.
"It's okay, Shizu. You tried," she said before following Kaji.
Numbly, I followed after them. Ever since the first akuma, there's been a strain between the three of us. For months, none of us were willing to broach the subject. Whenever it inevitably does come up, this happens. The worst thing about this is I'm the last person they'd accept help from. It doesn't matter I was doing my best to save them as Ladybug all this time... For all they know, Shizuke wasn't there for them when they needed him most. They can't rely on me.
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
"Dios mio! What are you doing?!" screamed Senior Gonzalez. "We've got a deadline to meet!"
Guess Blake's not done yet. Poor Blake, he's starting to sweat in that black leather jacket. He's shrinking away from the raging photographer but it seems like he's not the reason Senior Gonzalez is upset.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this," the girl with the blonde ringlets said, guesturing at her outfit: a red dress with black polka dots, matching ladybug pattern bow and dangling ladybug earrings.
That was Alicia Couffaine: younger sister of the famous model Olivia Couffaine, both from a family of high fashion supermodels. Just like her sister, she's a blonde bombshell with bright hazel eyes and the delicate bone structure of a classic fairy tale princess, hence why Blakey's with her on a horse in the carousel. I heard they're supposed to have that bad boy-good girl type of dynamic for the shoot, which is hilarious considering their actual personalities.
The photographer pinched the bridge of his nose, nursing what's likely gonna be one heck of a migraine.
"Seniorita Alicia, are you sure you want to be a model?"
Alicia nodded eagerly. "Yes sir! I want to be a model, just like my sister and the rest of my family! But I also want to stand out from her… I don't think that'll happen if I keep copying her 'classic princess' image. Maybe I should-"
"No."
"But Mr. Gonzalez-"
"Senior!"
"-this princess image just isn't working for me! I think I could do better if I be myself!"
"It would ruin the shoot! We've already established your roles for this to help you stand out from the other two couples! Comprende?!"
The other two couples being: Me and Leo as the flirty fox and the nice gentleman, and this other couple that was supposed to be the stern icy lady and the funny jokester guy. Yeah, two out of three pairs had the genders switched out 'cause 'Ladybug' is an admittedly girly theme few guys can dare to pull off.
"With all due respect sir, I think it could still work if Blake here also acts like his true self. How about we switch roles? I could be the feisty cat and Blake could be the kind helpful bug! Wouldn't that better represent an aspect of Ladybug and Chat Noire's relationship?"
Senior Gonzalez shook his head in disapproval. "That won't work."
"But-"
"You models aren't hired for your personality! You're hired for your looks! Nobody cares about your feelings as long as your face catches people's attention! This is what you've signed up for when you said you wanted to be a model, so you can either suck it up or go home!"
Yeesh. He even dropped the gratuitous Spanish. He must be super pissed. But that's the reality of this career. It's time for this princess to wake up and see it too.
Alicia looked around, as though hoping someone would take her side… Her eyes lingered on us twins in a silent plea.
Quickly, I slammed a hand over Blake's mouth before he can say anything that'll drag him down with Alicia. She tore her gaze from my brother and redirected it to me. Tearful hazel met stone cold emerald.
Unlike with being a superhero, there aren't any clear lines between allies and enemies. Only people you need to impress based on an image. To make it in this industry, models can't afford to be as honest as Ladybug. We have one job: to look good. Alicia will do well to remember that, or quit all together.
Knowing she's not getting any sympathy from me, Alicia ran away in tears.
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
Just as we exited the hidden passageway, a girl with blonde ringlets ran by.
"Wasn't that Alicia?" Kaji said.
Oh right. Alicia Couffaine. She's a classmate of ours and a member of the school's fencing team. She said she was excited to have her first photoshoot here with Blake. And where Blake goes, Blair is sure to be nearby.
"… She looks like she's crying," Fuyu said, sharp-eyed as ever.
There's that dreaded sense of something about to go wrong ringing in my head. That's when I saw an akuma fluttering towards that girl. I better get ready to transform. Maybe I can catch it before it could possess-
Fuyu grabbed me by the wrist before I could take more than two steps.
"Are you gonna pull another one of your disappearing acts?" Fuyu asked with narrowed eyes.
I struggled to pull my wrist free but Fuyu's grip proves to be too strong. Why does she have to confront me about this now?!
"Fuyu, I need to go-"
"Just where do you need to go that you can't tell us?"
"Uh… Guys?"
Hearing the worry in Kaji's tone, we both turned just in time to see Alicia engulfed in purple smoke. Oh no, she's transforming!
Fuyu's hand shook and her grip loosened enough for me to slip out and run away. I ducked into the haunted house – the last place Fuyu and Kaji would think to look for me. Not that they would. Now that an akuma is out, Kaji will be busy chasing it and Fuyu will be busy trying to stop him.
I rubbed circles on my temples.
"Those two will be the death of me."
"But you can't leave them alone for too long," Tikki said.
I let out a resigned sigh and transformed.
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
With Alicia gone, Blake was allowed to take an early break. We took the scenic route to our dressing rooms, checking out rides we might wanna try out before the second round of shooting. Inevitably, the conversation shifts to Alicia.
"I kinda feel sorry for Alicia," Blake said.
"What's there to feel sorry for? If you ask me, I'd say she had it coming."
"Harsh."
"She signed up for this. Considering her family, she should know what she's getting into."
"I think Senior Gonzalez went too far in reprimanding her."
"Well, I think Senior Gonzalez is just being fair. This is a job. We're paid to do it the way Aphrodite wants. If everyone else has to do their job as instructed, so should she."
"I know," Blake said while looking down like he's in shame.
"You really feel sorry for that girl?" I said with a raised brow.
"She did have a couple of good ideas. It's worth considering…"
"Just because she's from a famous supermodel family, doesn't mean she should be given special treatment. If not being true to herself is too hard for her, then she should quit now before this career crushes her soul."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be true to yourself," Blake said pointedly.
I rolled my eyes. "Blake, being 'true to yourself' isn't gonna work out if it's not what people want to see."
Blake shoved me to the side.
I would've face-planted on the cobblestone street if I hadn't grabbed the street lamp to stop my fall. I turned to glare at my twin.
"Upset muc-"
At the sight, I felt my heart come up to my throat.
"Blair… Run…"
There was a glowing red blade protruding from Blake's chest.
"Blake Crawford. The magazines paint you as a heartbreaker with a tragic past… But I know the real you! You were always so kind, helping out a new model prepare for her job. A gentle soul who can't even stand up to your own younger sister. It's unfortunate the company kept casting you as one when it couldn't be further from the truth."
Behind him stood a girl dressed like a monochrome harlequin. The bodice is split in the middle, one side black and one side white. On the black side, the arms and legs are white. Vice versa on the white side. Her two-horned hat and her long mantle-like collar is split the same way as her bodice. Her skin was a chalky white, making her black domino mask stand out. Breaking up the monochrome palette were the red of her eyes, lips, diamond earrings, and sword.
"Everyone would love the real you more than the fake! I'll show you!"
There was a sound like breaking glass and a glowing red crack appeared where Blake was stabbed through.
"I'll free you."
Blake's eyes widened and he sluggishly turned his head as far as it could go to look back at the akuma. A second after him, I realized the akuma's voice was familiar.
"… Alicia?" Blake croaked.
The akuma's crimson glare intensified.
"I'm not Alicia… I am Ego Split!"
0-0-0-0-0
Notes:
Hello readers! It's been … (nervously glances at the last update date)… over a year?! Yikes. Writer's block was that bad but rest assured, I haven't given up on this story.
In fact, in AO3, I already uploaded another episode (Slumber) from March to June. But that episode is meant to come after this one and without the option of grouping stories into a 'series', I had to write this episode first before posting that episode here to avoid making a mess of my chapter orders. Thanks to that, readers here at fanfiction were left hanging for over a year. On the bright side, readers here will get 2 episodes (eight chapters) uninterrupted. I'm still gonna post only a chapter per week to give myself time for any final edits and to type out the latest episode.
I also went back to a few past chapters and edited a few things. Mostly just correcting some grammar or rewording a couple of things. The only notable change is I had Damien bow to Shizuke while apologizing. It's to show how far he's willing to go to get his apology through to Shizuke and show how much humbler he's become. And I added a bonus scene at the end of the last chapter as a reward for those who'd backtrack.
I would like to say thanks to Hakuryuu11 for being my first review here on ! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed my story so far, and I apologize for the long delay. And if you're still looking for ShizuNoire and Blair's emotional development, this is the episode for you! Hope you enjoy!